Jammu floods: Private water tankers to remain at disposal of Jal Shakti Dept

Jammu, Aug 30 (IANS) District Magistrate (DM) in J&K’s Jammu district on Saturday ordered all private water tankers to remain at the disposal of the Jal Shakti Department in the wake of the situation arising out of floods.

An order issued by DM Jammu said that floods in Jammu district have disrupted the potable water supply system, and the concerned agencies are working for the quick restoration of the potable water supply.

The order said that it has been observed that private water tankers are operating in an unregulated manner, leading to arbitrary pricing, unequal access, and potential distribution of unsafe water, thereby endangering public health, hygiene, and safety.

“All private water tankers operating within the territorial jurisdiction of District Jammu are restrained from independently supplying or selling water to any household/commercial establishment, with immediate effect,” it said.

The order pointed out that all such private water tankers are requisitioned by the district administration, Jammu, and placed at the disposal of the Jal Shakti (PHE) department, Jammu, for regulated and equitable water distribution.

It further said that all private borewells drilled in District Jammu for filling of tankers are hereby requisitioned by the District Administration, Jammu, and placed at the disposal of the Jal Shakti (PHE) department, Jammu, with immediate effect.

The order directed that all the SDMs are further directed to identify within their respective jurisdictions individuals/establishments running private tankers and to immediately hand over the same to the Jal Shakti (PHE) department, Jammu.

There is a general crisis of safe drinking water in Jammu district after the recent floods, as most safe water supply sources have become muddy and unsafe.

Ten people have been killed and three have gone missing in the landslide and cloudburst that hit Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi and Ramban districts overnight.

State government officials said that seven people died in a landslide that flattened a residential house in the Mahore area of Reasi district on Friday night.

The officials said that the incident occurred after intense overnight showers lashed the area.

Three people died overnight in a cloudburst incident in the Rajgarh area of Ramban in the Jammu division.

According to the administration, many houses were damaged in the incident, with some completely washed away by the force of the floodwaters.

The latest disaster added to a series of destructive events in Jammu and Kashmir this month, where heavy rain, flash floods, and landslides have already taken a heavy toll.

Several districts in the Jammu region have witnessed large-scale devastation, with official reports confirming that more than 46 people have died so far in rain-related incidents.

In Reasi and Doda districts alone, at least 16 people have been killed as heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides, swollen rivers, and flood-like conditions that engulfed many villages.

Over the past week, districts, including Jammu, Samba, and Kathua, have also faced severe damage to property and infrastructure.

–IANS

sq/dan